Adjustable beds are well-known to allow the user to position the bed in various configurations. Typically, adjustable beds allow at least the head and foot of the bed to be raised and lowered. The mattress of an adjustable bed is moved and supported by a mattress support, which typically includes several sections coupled to one another with hinges. Typically, an adjustment mechanism includes links that engage a head section to articulate the head of the bed and links that engage a leg section to articulate or elevate the foot of the bed. Often, when the head of the bed is articulated, the mattress has a tendency to shift toward the foot of the bed, sometimes even slipping off of the mattress support. To prevent the mattress from slipping off of the mattress support during articulation, various devices are currently used. One example of such a device is a mattress retainer bar.
Mattress retainer bars are well-known in the art and include bars having an upright mattress retaining portion that engages the foot of the mattress to prevent the mattress from sliding off the mattress support. The mattress retainer bar typically has a pair of U-shaped end portions that are roughly perpendicular to the mattress retaining portion and that are used to secure the mattress retaining bar to the mattress support. Typically, either a consumer or a technician is tasked with attaching the mattress retainer bar to the mattress support. In many cases, an attachment kit for attaching a mattress retainer bar to a mattress support can include as many as 16 pieces or more including, for example, bolts, retainers, flat washers, and cupped washers.
A typical mattress retainer bar installation includes installing a cupped washer, a spacer and a flat washer on a mattress retainer bolt and loosely installing the mattress retainer bolt into a tapped hole in the foot panel of the mattress support. This process is repeated for each of four mattress retainer bolts such that there are two bolts associated with each U-shaped end portion of the mattress retainer bar. Each U-shaped end portion is then positioned around the mattress retainer bolts and the retainer bar end portions are positioned between the spacer and the washer associated with each bolt. The bolts are then tightened to secure the mattress retainer bar in place. This installation process requires the consumer or technician to use a screwdriver and can take an unnecessary amount of time. Additionally, the mattress retainer bar attachment kits provide the consumer or technician with 16 or more pieces of hardware to potentially misplace during assembly.